Squirrels won't stop the onslaught ---- HELP!!!

[Western]

I use the pellet gun or 12 gauge, both work great I tried electric fence and it was a waste of time and $$ for our squirrels. My grandfather put out peanut butter, said it would choke them?? but at todays prices, that is an expensive gamble.

If all else fails, just name your place " Squirrel Farms" and be happy you get great crops!!

 

[JRobyn]

you just need a couple of these guys....

 

[sld]

My first house was in an older neighborhood with lots of big trees....and lots of squirrels. First year there I completely redid the lawn in the fall and I noticed the squirrels were tearing it up digging holes to bury acorns. I couldn't stand for that!

I had a nice RWS German made pellet gun and started taking them out. My German Short hair was actually a pretty good squirrel dog. Once she saw one she would sit motionless under the tree staring at it...for hours sometimes. The house had the flip open basement windows and I would shoot the squirrel and she would fetch it up. It got to where she would bring it to the window and hand it to me and start looking for another one. I don't know the exact number, but I shot a BUNCH of them. Ate quite a few and sold the tails to the Mepps lure company. You could get either $.50 cash or $1.00 in merchandise for each tail. Looking back, it was fun.

One time I shot a crow and it landed on the ground raising a racket. Within minutes there were probably 1000 crows in my trees making a horrible racket. I ran out to get my dog from her pen and it was like a seen from the Hitchcock birds book. Never forget that.

 

[Bird]

One time I shot a crow and it landed on the ground raising a racket. Within minutes there were probably 1000 crows in my trees making a horrible racket.

Most people have never seen the huge flocks of crows they used to have around the vicinity of Marlow, OK. I shot one with a .22 rifle once that was sitting on a fence post. The huge flock in the field took off, going away from me while the shot crow half fell and half flew to the ground, but calling so loudly that the whole flock turned back toward me and just scared the daylights out of me. I pretty quickly put the injured one out of his misery to shut him up. But a couple of times I saw where men tied a crippled crow in a tree that was near a bridge, then they hid under the bridge and shot the other crows that showed up; dozens of dead crows under a tree by the road.

 

[kw22614]

That's the best way to get rid of a bunch (murder) of crows at once, sid. Wing one with a .22. He screams and all crows in earshot come to see what's up and if they can help - wait as long as you dare to attract many - then break out the scatter gun. I've got as many as 16 with one shot. This was years ago in the country, I wouldn't advise this in the burbs - unless you like the jail's stale sandwiches!

JRobyn, there's lots of hawks around and we even have 2 that patrol around my yard all the time, but have never seen them get a squirrel - mostly field mice and small snakes(just because I've not seen it doesn't mean they don't).

Western, I tried chunky peanut butter years ago. They loved it, couldn't get enough not one choked though. I believe they even told all the squirrels in the county. They used to swarm on it. I reckon it'd make a great bait to use to fill the freezer.

Was talking to a friend from WVA yesterday and he told me his uncle always put a radio, covered and weatherproofed of coarse, in his gardens left on 24/7. He never had any critter/varmint problem at all. This is an easy and cheap try.

 

[Bird]

JRobyn, there's lots of hawks around and we even have 2 that patrol around my yard all the time, but have never seen them get a squirrel

I don't know how often hawks are successful in catching squirrels, but many years ago I was playing golf on a Dallas golf course (Stevens Park) and a friend and I happened to be watching a hawk in a tree when it dived at a squirrel on the ground. The squirrel jumped onto the tree trunk and the hawk hit the ground. But he sure gave it a try.

 

[coobie]

Two words BARN CATS.We were overrun with squirrels,mice,ground moles and chipmunks.We have 3 outside barn cats for the last 3 years.No more varmint problems.I used to dislike cats,love them now.coobie

 

[deerseeker001]

we have 7 out side cats they keep all the critters out of the garden and the yard.